Private or Charter

My wife and I are in the process of looking for either a private school or a charter school for my son to attend. As of right now we have him in a place where he is learning both Spanish and English. We are learning very quickly that my son is a fast learner and that he may need to be in a school that pushes him greatly. I have had one of co-workers tell me that I should support the schools where I live and put my son in a public school. He feels that if I don't put him in a public school then I should put him in a private school. He feels that charter schools take money from the public school system. I am not one that subscribes to that train of thought. My wife is a teacher at a charter school in DC though so I may be a little biased. I am realizing that so much thought has to go into picking a school. You have to factor in the neighborhood, the teachers, etc. One of the advantages to a charter school is that the education is free and normally charter schools have some dedicated teachers. Charter schools also go outside the box when it comes to learning. Private schools are good as well due to the level of education but they are not free. These are some of the decisions that young parents have to deal with. I welcome it but it is not an easy decision. My son's education is the most important thing to us.